Chelsea vs West Brom Preview: Predicting the Blues' Starting 11

Chelsea's first home game of the season kicks off on Saturday at 5.30pm UK time (12.30 EST).

The Blues' will be looking to pick up their first win of the season, whilst their opposition will look to improve on their performance last weekend, which saw them defeated 2-1 at home to Manchester United.

After a dominant first half hour for United, the Baggies got back into the game and were close to coming away with a point until Steven Reid deflected Ashley Young's cross into his own net late on.

Roy Hodgson's team have certainly been difficult to beat since the manager joined the club in February, guiding them away from the relegation zone to an impressive 11th place finish last season. Chelsea must be aware that the clash will not be as easy for them as their last meeting with West Brom at Stamford Bridge; the opening game of the previous campaign ended with a 6-0 win for the Blues.

The West Brom manager that day was none other than Roberto Di Matteo, the newly appointed Chelsea assistant coach will be sitting in the home dugout this time around and will be hoping to get a win over his old club, whose sacking still seems harsh despite Hodgson's success.

Here is the team that I think Andre Villas-Boas will pick to start on Saturday.

Goalkeeper: Henrique Hilario

Hilario joined the club in 2006, but has played just 18 times, as he has always been seen as a back-up to Chelsea's No. 1, Petr Cech.

However, Cech has injured his knee this week in training and could be out for up to four weeks. It is a major blow, as he has been one of the most consistent members of the side over the last few years, winning the club's Player of the Year award last season, but this gives another goalkeeper the rare opportunity to make an impression in the Premier League.

Youngster Thibaut Courtois, recently signed from Belgian side Racing Genk, has been loaned out for the season to Atletico Madrid. This leaves two obvious candidates in Hilario and Ross Turnbull.

Hilario's last league appearance for the team was back in March 2010, and it was one to forget, as he conceded four goals in a dismal display against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

Despite not featuring in the league since, he signed a new contract at the end of last season and was given more time on the pitch than Turnbull during preseason. I'd expect Villas-Boas to give Hilario the nod for these reasons, and the fact that he shares the same nationality as his manager might be to his benefit.

Right Back: Jose Bosingwa

Another fellow countryman of his manager, Bosingwa started ahead of Branislav Ivanovic last week against Stoke City.

He got forward well and into dangerous areas, although his crossing frequently let him down.

He had an assured game defensively, and I think Villas-Boas is likely to stick with him this weekend, where we should see the full backs attacking even more on home turf.

Ivanovic has been the first choice right back for a couple of seasons, but he was an unused substitute at the Britannia Stadium last week. Whether this was because he had a slight knock has not been confirmed, but his manager may be trying to help Bosingwa rediscover his best form when he was arguably a greater attacking threat than the Serbian.

Centre Back: John Terry

Terry had a solid game at Stoke last week, and the captain will lead the team out once again on Saturday.

Centre Back: Alex

Alex had a great game partnering John Terry last week, helping the side to a clean sheet in the process.

His international teammate David Luiz has still got a knee injury, and so is unlikely to feature, and if Bosingwa keeps his place at right back, Alex is likely to be in competition with Branislav Ivanovic to start this weekend.

Because of Alex's impressive performance against Stoke, I expect Villas-Boas to opt for the Brazilian to partner Terry again. There has been speculation in the press that he may not stay at Stamford Bridge much longer, but, judging by the display last week, he is still fully committed to the Blues.

One potential problem with this partnership could be speed. Neither Alex or Terry are the quickest of defenders, and while their aerial ability was useful against Stoke, West Brom are likely to use the pace of Shane Long or Peter Odemwingie if he is fit to cause Chelsea problems.

Left Back: Ashley Cole

Cole had a good game last week, keeping Stoke's right winger Jermaine Pennant quiet for most of the match.

After the departure of Zhirkov, Cole's place in the starting lineup is even more assured ahead of youngsters Patrick Van Aanholt and Ryan Bertrand.

Defensive Midfielder: John Obi Mikel

Hours before the Stoke game, Mikel was told that his dad had gone missing in Nigeria and was likely to have been abducted. It is a testament to his character that he chose to play the match, despite what must have been such a traumatic moment for him.

He might not be as big a name as Essien, who will miss most of the season due to injury, but Mikel is a disciplined and reliable holding midfielder who does his job well. He was as solid as ever last week and even came close to scoring his first ever Premier League goal with a fantastic long range shot, which was well saved by Asmir Begovic in the Stoke goal.

It is hard to imagine how Mikel is feeling right now at the most worrying of times for him and his family; however, he has once again declared himself available to play. We all hope he will pick up from where he left off with another great performance and that his father will be released as soon as possible.

Centre Midfielder: Frank Lampard

Lampard wasn't at his best against Stoke, but his name is likely to be one of the first on the team sheet once again, as he has been such an important player for Chelsea over the last ten years.

Although there was talk of him playing in a more defensive role, Lampard was still getting forward with his trademark runs into the box from midfield and should've had a penalty after being tripped up just inside the area.

"Super Frank" is such a clinical finisher, and if he keeps getting into these positions, he will be among the goals once again this season.

Centre Midfielder: Ramires

Ramires was one of Chelsea's best players against Stoke, constantly making driving runs from midfield and always getting back quickly to defend if the home side tried a counter-attack.

As former assistant coach Ray Wilkins repeatedly pointed out in commentary, the Brazilian has one of the best engines in the world, as he never seems to tire whilst charging up and down the field, earning him the nickname of "the Blue Kenyan" in comparison with the African country's famous long distance runners.

After a slow start to his Chelsea career last season, his form got better and better in the latter stages of it, and that seems to have continued onto this campaign.

Right Forward: I Nicolas Anelka

I thought Anelka would start last week against Stoke, but I was proven wrong, as Andre Villas-Boas became the latest Chelsea manager to place faith in Salomon Kalou.

This is certainly not the first time I have criticised Kalou, and unless the rumours about him being offered to Tottenham as part of the Modric deal are true, it will probably not be the last. You've got to wonder what he does in training to convince each manager he's good enough to play. Every time he's given the ball, he runs into trouble.

Anelka is far from my favourite player either, and I hope that Daniel Sturridge will start in this position once he has returned from suspension, but the Frenchman showed his quality with his effort against Stoke that was tipped onto the bar by Begovic, and so I think Villas-Boas may opt for him ahead of Kalou this week.

Left Forward: Yossi Benayoun

This was the hardest position to call for me. Florent Malouda has undoubted quality, as we saw with his 13 league goals last season, but he is the kind of player that is brilliant some games and poor others.

Last week, he was far from his best; a long range shot directed straight at Begovic was the only moment he looked slightly dangerous, and Villas-Boas was clearly disappointed with the Frenchman, substituting him off after 65 minutes.

Perhaps on Saturday, we will see Malouda on form, but it would be a risk to select him after after such a poor display last week.

Benayoun had a good preseason but only came on for the last couple of minutes last week. His understanding with Torres was excellent when the pair were at Liverpool, but so far, we haven't seen them together at Chelsea for enough time to know if they still work well together.

Torres played very well against Stoke but wasn't ever played in through on goal by his teammates and had to work for most of his chances on his own. Could Benayoun be the man to help kick-start Torres' Chelsea career?

Centre Forward: Fernando Torres

Last week, I felt sure that Didier Drogba would start ahead of Torres, but I was proven wrong, as Villas-Boas opted for the Spaniard over the Ivorian.

Torres looked slightly better in preseason than during his awful first season at Chelsea; however, last week we saw a different player than the one we have been used to at Stamford Bridge since his £50 million move.

When he received the ball, he looked lively, always eager to take on players and head towards the goal. His work rate was fantastic, and for the first time in a blue shirt, he looked like a striker full of confidence and capable of scoring a hatful of goals.

True, Torres was unable to get his name on the score sheet against Stoke. However, he should have won at least one penalty after being tripped by Ryan Shawcross, and if he continues the form that earned him the Man of the Match award, I am confident that he will get off the mark for the season against West Brom.

Didier Drogba eventually came on to play up front with Torres, but once again, the partnership didn't function well, so I wouldn't expect him to start.

Exciting new teenage signing Romelu Lukaku is also available for the game. I wouldn't expect him to play straight away, but if we have a comfortable lead with 10-15 minutes left, he may well come on off the bench for his Chelsea debut.